Step 1: Identify the disease. Mad cow disease is a brain disorder in cattle, scientifically called Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. Step 2: Recall the unusual agent. This disease is caused by prions, which are abnormally folded infectious proteins carrying no DNA or RNA. Step 3: Understand prion action. Prions force normal brain proteins to misfold, giving the brain a sponge-like, holey appearance. Step 4: Reject Mycoplasma. Mycoplasma are wall-less bacteria causing pneumonia, not spongiform brain disease. Step 5: Reject viroids. Viroids are free RNA agents that infect plants, like potato spindle tuber disease, so they do not cause mad cow disease. Step 6: Reject Aspergillus and conclude. Aspergillus is a fungus causing respiratory infections, not BSE. Therefore the cause of mad cow disease is prions. \[ \boxed{\text{prions}} \]
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